framed governments for nascent communities * * * * * The Or- 

 ange Free State government has merits not to be found either iu 

 the American or the British system of constitutional government 

 ***** But though Mdsdom is justified of all of her children, 

 she cannot secure that her children shall survive the shocks of 

 arms. "''^ With such a government there is sufficient reason to be- 

 lieve that the several pastoral industries received every attention 

 and were in a flourishing state even if there was no organized body 

 especially directing them. 



In those days Agricultural Societies were the only organized 

 institutions that stimulated the progress of farming in general and 

 were subsidised by the government, who contributed on the pound 

 sterling for pound sterling principle. In the Transvaal (South 

 African Republic) the executive voted £10,000 for the advancement 

 of agricultural affairs annually and later increased this amount con- 

 siderably. Every year a Congress was held in one of the great 

 centers and matters were discussed, new schemes were planned and 

 undertaken for the advancement of farming throughout the state. 

 The executive Bureau of this Congress reported to the Government 

 who took a lively interest in the doings of these institutions and 

 gave it every assistance.^® 



In 1899 the first attempt was made in the Orange Free State to 

 establish an Agricultural Department and its officers were entrusted 

 to several of the most experienced farmers and a small trained 

 staff to organize the department; the war, however, forstalled 

 their plans. After the war bygones were very soon allowed to re- 

 main bygones and Briton aucl Boer settled down together and very 

 soon matters assumed their usual tenor. Most of the men respons- 

 ible before the war were once more called upon to investigate mat- 

 ters and in 1903 the Orange River Colony Department of Agricul- 

 ture was established. On the details and its later development will 

 be explained later on, it sufficeth, however, to stipulate the headli- 

 ness of their aims and proposed field of activity, which is more or 

 less that of the whole Union to-day. The department will call into 

 life : 



(1) Stud farms for the direct benefit of stock breeders. 



(2) Experimental farms where useful experiments could be 



(97) Sir James Bryce. Orange Free State 1901. 



(98) Transvaal Agricultural Journal No. 3, 1902. 



53 



